Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ice makers and, particularly, to a unit for making ice cubes.
In private households, ice cubes are generally made with the aid of ice-cube trays that have a multiplicity of compartments which are filled with water and then frozen in a freezer. The freezing operation continues from the outside inward. The initially frozen outer layers of an ice cube are thereby subjected to increasing levels of stress as the freezing operation continues into the interior and thus results in an increase in volume. This stressing prevents a homogeneous, clear mass of ice from being produced; instead, the mass of ice is rendered opaque by a multiplicity of tiny bubbles and streaks.
In a commercial hospitality setting, use is therefore frequently made of so-called clear-ice makers, which supply the consumer with more appealing, crystal-clear ice cubes. For this purpose, use is made of a freezing operation which continues from the inside to the outside and in which cooling fingers that are cooled to below 0° C. are submerged in a water basin, with the result that the ice cubes form on these cooling fingers.
Conventional clear-ice makers, described for example in German published patent application DE 40 20 128 A1, constitute high-outlay units for commercial use. They are configured for fixed connection to a water pipe and they operate more or less fully automatically.
Such units are not viable for use in private households on account of the amount of space they require, their cost and their production capacity. The latter far exceeds the requirements of a private household.